


"Say yes!"

by DieroteRosine



Series: Tsukishima Week 2020 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji is an literal angel, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Archery, Arranged Marriage, Background Relationships, Bad Flirting, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Courting Rituals, Dances, Day 2: History AU, Everybody is going to have a happy end, Everyone Is Gay, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Tease, M/M, Miya Atsumu Being an Idiot, Miya Osamu is a flirt, Romance, Royal Tsukishima, Sakusa Kiyoomi is in love, Tsukishima Harem, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Tsukishima Week 2020, Ushijima Wakatoshi is strong, Which one of the men Tsukishima is going to choose?, bad disguises, horse riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26646268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DieroteRosine/pseuds/DieroteRosine
Summary: The King was still smiling slightly and then unfolded the letter to hand it to Tsukishima. "See for yourself. Definitely a reason to be happy, don't you think?"Thoughtfully, Tsukishima scanned the lines in front of him and with every word he turned paler, until he finally let the letter sink and stared at his father in bewilderment."I'm going to get married?"_________Tsukishima Kei, second son of the King, a golden boy with a silver tongue, is supposed to get married, but he neither wants to nor does he know the suitors. Or does he?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Tsukishima Kei, Bokuto Koutarou/Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Miya Atsumu/Tsukishima Kei, Miya Osamu/Tsukishima Kei, Sakusa Kiyoomi/Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Kei/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: Tsukishima Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938544
Comments: 32
Kudos: 274
Collections: TsukkiBdayWeek2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the late second day for the Tsukishima-Week, but I hope you enjoy it!  
> The next chapter will be uploaded tomorrow (26.09)
> 
> As always, English is not my first language, so please be kind :)
> 
> Read the sequel: ["Say yes again!"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26733343)

Tsukishima Kei was woken up by the chirping of birds and wrinkled his nose in displeasure as he stayed in bed for a moment longer.

The previous night he had completely lost track of the time and sat by the fireplace until the early hours of the morning studying one of his books.

As the youngest heir to the throne, he would take over the place of advisor to his brother in a few years, so Tsukishima had to acquire as much knowledge as possible during this time.

Every time his father made a seldom stupid decision and didn't want to be instructed by Tsukishima, _who knew it better_ , the blond man's fingers tickled to snatch the scepter out of his father's hand and solve the problem himself.

“ _A ruler is only as strong as his mind.”_ Even if Tsukishima had heard this phrase more than once as a child, he had only recently really learned to understand its meaning.

As much as Tsukishima loved and valued his father, some knowledge couldn't be gained through wars and battles.

For this very reason the library of the court grew tirelessly and if you didn’t find the blond man on horseback or in the garden, where he was learning the medicinal plants and herbs by heart, you would find him lost in a book in the library.

His older brother and first heir to the throne, Akiteru, had already given up making a _“reasonable”_ warlord out of Kei several years ago and instead limited himself to bringing him a large number of books from each of his trips.

In the meantime, not only books by local secretaries but also writings and documents from all over the world were lined up on Tsukishima's shelves - the monk of the monastery had already joked that Tsukishima would soon have more books than hair on his head.

And while other young noblemen of Tsukishima's age fought sword fights in the yard, the blond man always looked at the goings-on with a sniffed nose and gave everyone a snappy click of his tongue.

Because if Tsukishima was anything besides an inquisitive person, he was someone you didn't want to be your enemy.

Not only once had the blond prince exposed his father's guests to such an extent with just a few specific words, that the king was just able to prevent a major commotion.

If one could believe the whispering of the servants, they called the young prince _"silver tongue"_ , because his tongue was sharper and more dangerous than any sword and could bring a country war as well as peace.

Tsukishima himself couldn't have spoiled his reputation any less, as it guaranteed him peace and quiet from annoying people who thought it a good idea to try their moves on the heir to the throne.

In moments like these, the long-established servants always knowingly backed away and witnessed the spectacle when Tsukishima let a suitor feel the real sharpness of his tongue.

For although the court was now aware of his dangerous tongue, foreign nobles and knights repeatedly succumbed to the outward charm of the young man and tried their luck, drunk with love.

To Tsukishima's great displeasure, he had inherited not only his mother's sharp mind, but also her looks - slender, long legs, a thin body, and narrow shoulders framed by golden-blonde curls.

Akiteru had once said that Kei's eyes were those of a bird of prey, as attentive as the golden topasses always scanned the crowd and made you get hot and cold when they turned on you.

In the same breath Akiteru had mentioned that Tsukishima would have to be careful in the future if he didn't want to be caught one night.

"Because even though you're humanly an absolute asshole, you shine outwardly like pure gold and I don't want to have you in the hands of the wrong people."

With this sentence in mind, Tsukishima had developed his legendary “silver tongue” and so he was now - _Tsukishima Kei, second-born of the Tsukishima family, the golden boy with the silver tongue._

That same golden boy was just about to roll out of bed after another chirping of birds and rays of sunshine on his face, stumbling sleepily to the balcony.

If you could tell from the water trough next to his bed, it was probably that his servant and best friend since childhood had been with him and had prepared the bath water.

Tsukishima yawned again and stretched as he pushed aside the curtain on his balcony and leaned against the railing outside.

The sun was already high in the sky and in the distance you could hear the church clock chime 10.

The cattle carts rattled busily under Tsukishima's window in the direction of the market square and the blond man leaned on the railing as he let the background noise and smells flow in on him.

The air was already shimmering with heat and gave hope for a warm day.

Women in fine robes wandered past Tsukishima's balcony, chattering, greeted the prince-throne with a polite curtsey, and then sank into their conversations again.

Early on, Tsukishima had taught everyone at his court not to bring the usual netiquette towards him, he only requested this expressly when he met strangers or suitors - but having to hear the sentences "Your Highness" or "Dear Prince" every day was a strain on Tsukishimas Nerves and so he had traded himself down to a simple "Sir".

_"Your Highness, Tsukishima, dear prince, sir."_

Tsukishima's head sank and he groaned loudly when he heard the bell-bright, mocking voice behind him and shortly afterwards a pillow was playfully thrown at the back of his head.

The young prince turned around indignantly and was just able to duck before the second pillow sailed over his head and down into the courtyard.

Yamaguchi, Tsukishima's longest and best friend and recently pillow assassin, laughed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment when Tsukishima stared after the pillow and then turned to his friend.

"Sometimes you only have air in your head, don't you?" Grinned the blonde and Yamaguchi raised his hands in defense.

“If it takes you three years to take your bath, what should I do? Even if you are a beanpole, I still can't throw you into the trough."

"You should try that too, but after that the court will have fun when I shoo you through the castle butt naked."

The two stared at each other for a moment, and then they burst out laughing.

Yamaguchi has always been one of the few people to whom Tsukishima had confided without problems and, despite his employment with the king, enjoyed high privileges, completely unsuitable for a servant.

For example, he was allowed to speak freely even in the presence of the king, who treated him like a third son, and was himself not entirely innocent of some of Tsukishima's arguments with foreign nobles.

Because while Tsukishima always watched the newcomers with a wrinkled nose, Yamaguchi insisted on spending the meal at the nobles' table and gradually listening to them until he knew their intentions.

Often these included a not exactly inconspicuous question about _"the blonde beauty next to the king"_ and whether Yamaguchi would know more about him.

To put it casually, Yamaguchi happily stirred the pot of rumors and always went straight to Tsukishima, grinning cunningly after the craft was done, to tell him about the intentions of the nobles.

They often noticed their mistakes in confiding in Yamaguchi too late and so they were pierced with cool looks during their audience with the king.

Yamaguchi just put a finger in the bath water and made a face. “Congratulations, it's cold. You have waited long enough."

"Cold?", Tsukishima suppressed a dissatisfied grumble, but was still punished by Yamaguchi's scolding look. "I said I would bring the water when the rooster crows, so it's not my fault that you sleep until early noon."

With this comment, the brown-haired man stomped up to Tsukishima and pushed and pulled him until the prince surrendered - but with grumbled protest - sank into the bath water and took a hissing breath.

Yamaguchi's malicious comment was drowned out by the chatter of his teeth and he had not needed such a short time for his bath in a long time as it was that day.

The great hall was brightly lit when Tsukishima walked downstairs for "breakfast" a few minutes later and was accompanied by Yamaguchi as always.

As the two young men on the upper floor headed towards the stairs, the busy talking and clattering of dozens of feet sounded up to them and Yamaguchi smirked.

“It's been like this all morning. Your father said something about the fact that we're expecting important mail today."

Tsukishima raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Is that why the whole court goes crazy? Because of a few silly letters? Well then it has to be mail made of pure gold if that means I can't have breakfast in peace."

Yamaguchi snorted, ignoring the fact that it was early noon and that Tsukishima would have had to go without breakfast in any normal household - but he was the king's second son, so he could have breakfast whenever and wherever he wanted.

Tsukishima, lost in thought, tugged at his top, a dark green cloth garment, which was decorated with elegant golden tendrils on the shoulders and was held together at the hip with a brown leather belt.

"Unsatisfied with the choice of clothes?" Yamaguchi snarled from behind him and the blond man shrugged. “I just don't understand why Father thought I had to wear my ball gown today. I look like I search for attention."

His best friend replied with an amused snort. "Come on, you know as well as I that your butt is shown off perfectly in these black pants."

The prince snapped at this comment with a click of his tongue, and Yamaguchi gave him a pat on the backside.

Just as the blonde was about to pinch his best friend in the side as revenge, his father's roaring laugh sounded from the side of the throne and the moment Tsukishima appeared in his field of vision, he was waved to him by the King.

Sullen and with a longing look at the still richly set table, Tsukishima trotted to his father and put a hand on his hip, his eyebrows raised in question.

The old King sat on his throne dressed in velvet red, a letter in hand, and patted the smaller chair on his left beside him.

"What's up?", Tsukishima grumbled without accepting the offer of the seat and the King laughed deeply again.

“Good morning to you too, Kei. I've already heard from Yamaguchi that you buried yourself in your books again until late at night."

An evil look at Yamaguchi from Tsukishima.

"Yes, that's right. It's much more entertaining than listening to your and Aki's hunting stories late into the night."

The king shook his head in mock indignation and then smiled benignly. "I know, I know. It shouldn't be a criticism, after all, you will soon be smarter than the entire court combined if you continue to read so much and that is also something to boast about."

His son gave him a half-hearted smile, even if in some ways it made him proud to have such an indulgent father. Had he been the heir to the throne and thus the firstborn, things would certainly have looked different, but since Akiteru looked like his father in almost every way, the firstborn had become a brave and wise warrior who would conscientiously rule the country in a few years.

The King was still smiling slightly and then unfolded the letter to hand it to Tsukishima. "See for yourself. Definitely a reason to be happy, don't you think?"

Thoughtfully, Tsukishima scanned the lines in front of him and with every word he turned paler, until he finally let the letter sink and stared at his father in bewilderment.

_"I'm going to get married?"_

The king chuckled and picked up the letter again and nodded slowly.

"Oh yes, my son you will be 20 years old in a few weeks and since I have been getting requests for your hand from some lords and princes of the surrounding kingdoms for years now, I have decided that on the day of your 20th Birthday you should get one of their sons as your husband."

Perplex Tsukishima stood in front of his father, eyes wide and mouth open, unable to process the words he had just heard.

Yamaguchi behind Tsukishima had also clapped his hand over his mouth and all in all, no one except the King seemed to be really convinced of the plan.

"B-But father!", Tsukishima's voice trembled unusually and he stared at the letter in his father's hand as if it were an ugly insect. "Why did you decide that without my consent?!"

"Kei.", The King leaned forward in his chair and put a warm hand on his son's shoulder.

“If it were up to you, thirty years from now you would still be sitting alone among your books, formulating ranting about how I once again didn't listen to your advice. So now my advice, see it as an opportunity to connect two kingdoms and bring even more knowledge out into the world."

Still completely perplexed, Tsukishima stared at the man in front of him and he was sure that something clearly had to go wrong here.

His father had never expressed the idea of him marrying in a single sentence, and Tsukishima definitely had no intention of doing so in the near future.

How could he get married now if he hadn't sorted his library alphabetically or studied all of his family's ancient writings?

And besides - there was absolutely nothing he could offer a young nobleman that would appeal to them.

Tsukishima could neither cook nor dance nor sing and he was even less suitable for hunting. He loathed sword fighting and if his future husband wasn't interested in literature, horse riding, or botany, they wouldn't have anything to speak about.

All Tsukishima could offer someone was an almost inexhaustible knowledge and a sharp tongue, but the latter had always been more of a guarantee that young men had run away.

_"Father!"_ , Another indignant, desperate attempt to bring the king to his senses. “What should I do with a prince? You know I've dedicated my life to books and knowledge, no sane young man would willingly choose me as his partner for life. In addition - ", he waved his hand around, “I cannot give birth to an heir, which noble house would voluntarily pass up the chance of an heir just to marry another prince ?!"

The King smiled cautiously and this time Tsukishima accepted the invitation when his father pointed to the chair next to him.

"Kei, you know as well as I do that you have many enviable abilities that each of these princes can be proud of."

At the skeptical look of his son, the king laughed heartily and rubbed his blond-white beard. “On the one hand, of course, the most obvious, you're an angelic creature and I thank your mother, the Queen, every day for the incredible beauty she has bestowed on you. You are also smart enough to presumably rule an entire kingdom without an adviser. I imagine to rule by your side like an act of grace, because you would pull the strings in the background and one would only have to put the signatures and seals."

The king leaned back in his throne and let his gaze wander around the throne room before stopping at Yamaguchi, who was still a little out of place in the middle of the stairs, and beckoned the boy over to them.

“You are kind and wise. Even if you always appear cool and calculating on the outside, inside you are a person with a big heart and love for your friends and family."

Yamaguchi began to smile imperceptibly and leaned against one of the pillars next to the throne, while Tsukishima was still skeptically watching his father.

“Last but not least, and I think my dear Yamaguchi will vote for me here, you're a person who devotes his entire body to what he loves. Do you remember the time when you raised an injured foal in our stable? You sometimes slept next to him in the hay night after night?

Should someone manage to get into your heart, you would do anything to ensure that this person stays there. You are a fighter and ready to face a challenge."

Interrupting his father's monologue, Tsukishima snorted, but couldn't suppress the slight red sheen on his cheeks.

His father rarely found such words of encouragement for him, and for a brief moment Tsukishima was tempted to thank him, but he left it with a half-hearted smile and a nod.

“And still - I don't know these men. You said they are the sons of different trading partners from the other kingdoms? So have they visited us before?"

Now an almost mischievous grin crept onto his father's face and he folded his hands conspiratorially.

"Oh you've seen each of them, even if only as children, but I suspect you were too busy staring their fathers in the ground."

A quick glance between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who just shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

The King snapped his finger happily and shortly afterwards one of the servants came running, a tray with a scroll in hand, which the King took with a smile and sent the servant away.

He turned to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi and looked a bit like a child who was about to tell his biggest secret, his eyes flashed amused.

"I took the trouble and carefully kept an eye on which princes want to court you, after all one of them will be my son-in-law and I have no intention of losing you to a buffoon that ran along.", The King explained almost casually and Tsukishima exhaled - something at least.

So far his father had always been very considerate in all things, at least as far as he was concerned, but he could probably hope not to be entrusted to a poser.

For a moment Tsukishima hoped to get a prince who was also well-read and interested in history, but as he remembered the rest of the kingdoms, he could probably be happy to get a prince who was able to read at all.

As if he could not read his own writing, the King took a great deal of time to study the scroll again and then slowly begin to read out the names.

"In the course of the wedding and courtship of the youngest Tsukishima heir, Kei Tsukishima - _that's you_ ," his father said and Tsukishima stared blankly at him, whereupon his father continued. "We hereby invite the following aristocratic houses and especially their sons to the celebration at which Kei's future husband will be elected."

Another meaningful pause followed and Tsukishima subconsciously continued to slide forward in his chair until he was only a few centimeters away from the scroll.

"The son of the cat kingdom, _Kuroo Tetsurou_ , the sons of the owl kingdom, _Akaashi Keiji_ and _Bokuto Koutarou_ , the son of the eagles, _Ushijima Wakatoshi_ , _Sakusa Kiyoomi_ , son of the weasel family and the twins from the fox kingdom, _Atsumu and Osamu Miya_. "

The King grinned proudly down at Tsukishima, whose complexion was now like that of a white wall and it took a long moment before the blonde dared to speak again.

"You didn't seriously invite each of the sons whose families I confronted at a meeting, did you?"

His father smiled at him and suddenly Tsukishima regretted each of his cheeky comments when the King put a hand on his shoulder and patted him on the back.

"Everything is going to be fine."

Tsukishima heard a high-pitched squeak in his ear and blinked two or three times in confusion, his gaze fixed on his father.

"What can I do to prevent you from sending these invitations?" Tsukishima muttered and his father chuckled happily.

“Nothing at all, today I asked you to wear your ball clothes because today the messengers from the kingdoms come to present us with the decisions of the sons and -” he glanced in the direction of the big door, “while we were here discussing your life decisions, all of them have arrived and will now be admitted to us, so be nice and behave as always."

_"What ?!"_ , the blonde hissed and was already reaching for his father's hand when the door in front of them opened with a crash and five messengers approached the King in a row.

With every step they came closer, Tsukishima's throat tightened a little more and he shot Yamaguchi a look for help as the five men saluted and bowed to him.

Tsukishima dug his fingers into his father's coat, hoping to make him realize that it was all going too fast and that he had only just come to terms with having to entertain seven strangers in the near future - but his father withdrew his grip with an apologetic smile and stepped forward.

“Gentlemen, I'm pleased that you were able to find your way to us so quickly. I see all kingdoms are represented here, what an honor that they all responded."

One of the messengers, a man with fiery red hair, raised his head and smiled at the King and then at Tsukishima. "It's much more of an honor for us, Sire, after all, the sons of our countries don't have the opportunity to get hold of such an _extremely_ -" he looked at Tsukishima from head to toe, which gave this one a cold chill, " _attractive_ husband."

Tsukishima gritted his teeth at the word and clenched his jaw. _"Getting hold of”_ sounded like he would be a prize to win - the idea disgusted him.

But his father didn't seem bothered by the words in any way, because he laughed and nodded. “Well spoken. Well, may I ask for the answers of your feudal lords?"

The five men stepped forward and handed Tsukishima's father a scroll.

With a bow, the first man, a giant with gray-silver hair, said, "It would be an honor for the Kuroo family to be shortlisted and my Master Tetsurou will be here in two weeks."

Next to the man came another man who looked like a bird of prey for Tsukishima. “The sons of the Akaashi and Bokuto families will also come. Keiji and Koutarou send their regards. "

"The same goes for the sons of the Miya family," said a man with unusually dark skin who wore a friendly smile.

“Sakusa Kiyoomi will accept the invitation. The family thanks for the chance.", Said a man with orange-brown hair and as the last one the red-haired man looked directly at Tsukishima.

"My master Ushijima is looking forward to the company of your son.", He grinned and although Tsukishima did not know this _"Ushijima"_ , he decided at that moment to send him away first.

After all the ambassadors had said goodbye with another nod, the King stepped closer and grinned proudly to himself.

"And?"

"What and? Should I do joy dances now or start crying with gratitude?", The blonde snarled and his father giggled in amusement before he tousled Tsukishima through the blonde curls.

“Give them a chance. I have a feeling that one of them will catch your eye."

"Oh, just like the feeling when you started war with the snakes because they looked at you the wrong way?"

Now the king grimaced and patted his youngest son on the shoulder encouragingly.

“No matter how nasty you are, Kei. My decision has been made and although I love you very much, I will not tolerate any ifs or buts this time, understood?"

Tsukishima's lip twitched slightly as he stood up and left the room with a frosty "Got it, Sire."

The following two weeks went by in a flash – at least Yamaguchi or the King would describe it like this, because since the princes' promises had come, there hadn't been a quiet minute in the palace.

Overnight accommodations for the nobles and their companions were set up, banquets were organized and musicians, artists and wandering people from all over the kingdom were summoned to the court to fill the weekend with life and entertainment.

The bakers and brewers hadn't slept for days, and even at night you could hear the busy work in the bakery from Tsukishima's room.

Tsukishima, however, the person who would be the focus of attention in the next few days, had completely hid in his room.

He crouched brooding over various books and instead of mentally preparing for the arrival of his suitors, Tsukishima decided to ignore the topic until it was no longer possible.

Although his father had explained to him in detail that a wedding was essential in order to forge future bonds with the kingdoms and that his brother had already been promised to Princess Saeko of the Crows, Tsukishima didn't wanted to follow the advice of his father.

He was an educated man and not some pretty accessory that these princes could put in their bed.

Also, if at all, he wanted to choose the man at his side with his own free will, and not because some old man had forced him to - even if that old man was his father.

Yamaguchi had suggested that his father at least still gave him a choice and that Tsukishima would certainly find seven attractive princes, but this was a matter of principle.

In his head the plan had manifested itself to avoid the prince as soon as they arrived, so that with a bit of luck each of them would lose interest in him before they even saw him.

It was considered a great impoliteness not to appear at court to greet other nobles, and if Tsukishima stayed in secret long enough, the chances were not bad that there would never be a wedding.

For this very reason, on the evening of the festive banquet in honor of his guests, he slipped out of his room unseen and saddled his horse while the chaos reigned around him.

When he heard the fanfares of the newcomers in the distance, the fair-haired prince swung himself onto his Arab, gave the big horse a pat on the neck, and then disappeared into the darkness of the neighboring forest.

Yamaguchi would probably have a heart attack if he opened the door to Tsukishima's room in a few minutes and found it abandoned, but Tsukishima couldn't take such little things into consideration.

After all, this was about _his future, his life and the lives of seven other men_ who didn't know at the time that Tsukishima was not a good match for them.

Surely they had only seen the name of the royal family and decided to link the kingdoms together, the blond prince thought to himself as he rode silently through the nightfall.

Crows creaked faintly as he diverged from the main path and steered them further into the winding paths of the forest. Thanks to his interest in medicinal plants, he had found himself in this part of the forest one time or another and so he knew the way inside out.

A crack of a branch very close made him pause and absentmindedly he stroked the neck of his horse, his head pointed directly at the place from which the sound had come.

There were no wolves in these parts of the forest for a long time, but - and the thought made Tsukishima shudder - the talk of his imminent marriage must have reached the last village of the empire and with the sons of the king came wealth and with wealth came Bandits.

What if Tsukishima ran into a gang of thieves?

Would they take him hostage or even kidnap him?

Completely caught up in his terrible thoughts, Tsukishima hadn't noticed how his horse had strayed further and further from the path without guidance and suddenly came to a jerk when a rock wall rose in front of them.

Tsukishima's heartbeat quickened, realizing that he had lost track of the forest and was no longer sure where he was.

_He was alone in the forest - as the king's youngest son and unarmed._

He was just about to turn the horse and ride along the rock wall when the loud rustling sounded again and the hairs on the back of Tsukishima's neck stood up.

"Who - who is there ?!" he called, hoping to sound brave and not completely scared, but the only answer he got was the soft call of an owl and he exhaled.

"Maybe I'm just imagining it," he muttered to himself, trying to get his fluttering heartbeat under control. “Certainly only the nerves. As if I met a gang of thieves today."

" _Gang of thieves_?" Someone suddenly asked next to Tsukishima's ear and as loud as he screamed, the whole forest had to know where he was now.

Frantically he tugged on the halter of his horse, but the horse reared up and the next thing Tsukishima knew was that he landed on the hard forest floor and his only rescue galloped away in panic.

Scared and overwhelmed by the situation, Tsukishima tried to sit up, but his coat got tangled in a bush, so that he was pulled back to the ground.

Only when steps approached him, Tsukishima stood still and closed his eyes in prayer.

What had he done that he was punished for his escape by meeting a gang of thieves? What if they did all the horrible things Akiteru told him about to him?

Tsukishima, who until now had stayed away from any execution or beating, didn't want to imagine what terrible torment he would face.

And so it was no wonder that he gave a low whimper when a person approached him from the shadows of the trees who clearly appeared to be carrying a sword.

_"Please._ ", He pleaded, "I'll give you everything you want, but please spare my life!"

He didn't dare to lift his head, just stared stubbornly at his hands trembling with fear and only now registered the golden crown, which he had forgotten to remove and which was still enthroned on his hair like a golden sign.

Even if the robbers hadn't known who they were looking at, after one glance at the crown they would know.

A pair of black leather boots pushed themselves into Tsukishima's lowered field of vision and his heart apparently stopped a few breaths when suddenly two more pairs of boots approached and stopped behind the first boots.

Trembling, Tsukishima tried to blink away the rising tears, but the prospect of eventual death tightened his throat.

_"Please."_ , He croaked again, "spare me."

“Hey Keiji we found someone! Come here! And get the others!”, The loud shouting of one of the two men, made Tsukishima flinch and he stared motionless at the ground in front of him.

All of a sudden he saw one of the men crouch down in front of him and suddenly a gloved hand appeared in his field of vision.

A less loud and clearly calmer voice asked him: “Is everything okay with you? Do you need help to get up?”

And something in Tsukishima's brain skipped.

Confused, he stared at the hand before carefully lifting his head and looking into the worried-looking face of a strange man.

Yellow cat-like eyes sparkled curiously at him from behind strands of thick black hair and one eyebrow was playfully raised.

Tsukishima really had to look laughable at that moment, as he stared at the man in front of him motionless and when a puzzled giggle left the black-haired man, Tsukishima registered that he was still sitting on the floor.

He jerked back and pulled himself out of the bush by pulling on his coat until he could stand upright again.

Two men stood in front of him - the first with the cat's eyes and black shaggy hair was grinning broadly now and the second, a man who looked like a long-eared owl, put both muscular arms on his hips.

Tsukishima eyed the two men reservedly and wrapped one arm protectively around the other arm, although they didn't seem to mean any harm to him.

Immediately before Tsukishima had finally found his posture again and could ask who they were, it cracked again and next to him five other men broke through the bushes.

"Ahhh here ya are, we thought ya would have gone ahead without us.", Laughed a man whose brown-blonde hair stuck out from under a hood and in the same breath turned to Tsukishima to look him up and down.

"Who's that?"

“Tsum ', you can't just ask who that is? Haven't you been taught to be polite from your mother?” Snapped a man who looked exactly like the brown-blonde man, with the exception of the gray-brown hair.

The first one smirked and grinned: "Well, if I have no manners, then neither do ya, after all we are from one and the same woman -"

"I'll interrupt at this point.", Came suddenly from the person at the head of the group, a man shorter than Tsukishima and with soft features, who flicked his short black hair almost angelically to the side and smiled thinly.

"Forgive my companions, we didn't want to scare you, but it doesn't happen every day that we find a handsome young man in the woods."

Unlike the red-haired messenger two weeks ago, the man's little compliment made Tsukishima's cheeks flush and he shook his head.

“It's okay. I thought your comrades - ", he nodded to the first two men," would be bandits and I'm still a little confused."

“Told you Tetsu, it must be because of your terrible hair! You look like a tomboy with it.”, The owl man laughed cheekily and the first man wrinkled his nose, but didn't let the grin disappear from his face.

He stretched and scratched the back of his head, then winked at Tsukishima. "If I were a bandit, I would've stolen this young man long ago and taken him with me."

"Ohhhhh Tetsu, so smooth.", Laughed the owl man and the two highfived each other.

Tsukishima said nothing, ashamed of being so openly flirted with in such an environment, when there was not the opportunity to stare angrily at the men from his throne.

And yet his fingers itched to reply and he clicked his tongue before giving the first man, _Tetsu_ , a disapproving look. “I decline, thanks. I wouldn't like to be stolen by someone who can't even afford a decent hairdresser."

The owl man and the blond twin cackled loudly, while the rest of the men put on an amused smile and “Tetsu” stared at Tsukishima with an open mouth.

"I don't want to interrupt your fun.", A sixth man stepped forward and Tsukishima's gaze immediately caught on his two moles on his forehead, his raven-black curls and his unusually light skin. "But I think the reception at the court has already started and we're fooling around here in the forest."

"I agree with Omi. We shouldn't wait any longer.”, Muttered the last man, who was barely taller than Tsukishima, but could certainly pull trees out of the ground with his muscular arms.

His olive-green hair peeked out from under his hood in some places and the blonde twin patted him hard on the back.

"Yes, Toshi, we just wanted to know which young nobleman got lost here in the forest, because -", now he turned to Tsukishima, "I'm sure ya don't wear this crown for fun."

Before Tsukishima could answer, however, the man stepped closer, his forehead furrowed and two fingers on his chin. "Say, are ya on your way to see the prince?"

For a moment Tsukishima remained motionless in his position and considered his answer - normally he would have revealed his true form to these men long ago and pointed out to them that they were talking to the king's son, but something inside him stopped him.

These men had done nothing to him and it had taken him ages and hours of hints to get rid of all the "sloppiness" and politeness from his court people and now for the first time in his life he was in the position that these people didn't know him.

It felt liberating not always to be "the prince", but just in that moment ...

_"Tadashi. My name is Tadashi."_

The blond man studied him for a moment, then his face lit up and he grinned broadly at Tsukishima. “Tadashi, well! My name is Atsumu! And the less handsome guy next to me is my brother Osamu!"

Something in Tsukishima's mind rang at the name, but he couldn't remember where he'd heard the names of the two men before.

Now the angelic man stepped forward and extended his hand to Tsukishima.

"Call me Keiji, nice to meet you, Tadashi."

The owl man took over from Keiji and shook Tsukishima's hand vigorously. "My name is Koutarou and this is my blood brother Tetsurou.", He nodded to the feline man.

That left the giant tree-cutting man and his pale companion with the eye-catching birthmarks. "Good evening, my name is Wakatoshi and this is Kiyoomi.", The man with the olive-green hair and the stoic expression said.

"Very pleased.", Tsukishima replied politely, completely contrary to his usual behavior towards strangers and noticed how his gaze stayed on Kiyoomi's black curls for a second too long.

The realization made his cheeks burn, and the fact that Koutarou slipped an arm around Tsukishima's shoulder with a grin didn't make things any better.

"Well then, Tadashi, you still haven't told us what you want at the king's court." The man smirked and Tsukishima used a short cough as a time to come up with a suitable excuse.

Carefully he freed himself from the strong embrace and straightened up to full height before tilting his head and saying: “I'm just passing through. I heard about the wedding of the prince and didn't want to miss the spectacle."

"Understandable!", Osamu said and nodded to his companions. “My brother and I traveled with a larger group, but we decided to explore the area a little before arriving at the court. We met these dudes here.”, He pointed to the rest of the group and Bokuto laughingly put an arm around Tetsurou and Akaashi. "Yes, there were three of us and we met Toshi and Omi-Omi on the way."

"Just don't remind me of it.", Kiyoomi growled, who plucked a leaf from his shoulder and looked anything but happy with his current whereabouts.

"I just wanted to go out to the courtyard and take a bath and instead I'm being dragged into the forest by these guys because they really want to enjoy their freedom a bit before the next few days get serious."

"Are you there to watch the prince courting then?" Asked Tsukishima, looking at Keiji, Wakatoshi and Osamu, who had said the least so far.

He didn't miss the fact that everyone present exchanged quick looks and then Keiji gave him a warm smile. "Yes, something like that. We will definitely use the hospitality of the city."

"Speaking of which, do any of you know the path we have to go now?" Tetsurou raised his head and looked around, the path that Tsukishima had taken still a long way off.

Careful not to blow his camouflage, Tsukishima now also looked around and suddenly recognized one of the trees that he had used as a marker during one of his rides.

But he hadn't noticed it before in the panic and, unsure as possible, pointed in the approximate direction from which he had come and said: “If I'm not mistaken, the city should be in this direction. I think I heard loud noises from there earlier."

"Noises like the one you thought we were bandits for?" Tetsurou grinned and Tsukishima gave him a cool look, which the black-haired man returned with another cheeky wink.

"If Tadashi thinks it's this way, we should give it a second look, shouldn't we?", Keiji's voice was, as before, quiet and thoughtful, but it left no room for discussion and Koutarou saluted the smaller man, before he grabbed his hand and pulled him behind him.

At Tsukishima's surprised expression, Tetsurou smiled and nodded after the two of them. “They've been friends since they can talk. If you have one, you have the other. "

"The same goes for us too." Atsumu echoed and Osamu grimaced. "I warn you, if I find a handsome husband, you will be banished from the house faster than you can look."

Atsumu's indignation was drowned out in the loud shout of Koutarou, who shouted “HERE'S THE PATH!” through the forest and Tetsurou raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"Look, you were right after all. I wouldn't have thought. "

The young man awakened the desire in Tsukishima to sit on his throne and let him down with cool words, but he limited himself to snorting and saying: “Don't underestimate me. As a fighter you should know that."

Tetsurou grinned crookedly. "Yes, only normally there are no clever beauties facing me, but warriors. And they talk less, they strike."

Tsukishima refrained from hissing outraged at his description and wrapped his cloak closer over his shoulder before stomping past Tetsurou with his nose up and following the path that Koutarou and Keiji had taken.

Amazingly, the way back to the castle turned out to be much more relaxed than Tsukishima had assumed and so he didn't even notice how close they had come to the city and thus his court, until they met a lumberjack on the edge and he immediately indicated a bow.

At no moment was Tsukishima more grateful to have waived the courtesy than now, because his companions only looked at each other for a moment, confused, but then continued to talk about their trip.

What Tsukishima could infer from the conversations was that Tetsurou, Koutarou and Keiji came from neighboring kingdoms and had already gone on adventure together as children.

Keiji seemed to exclude himself from these stories, according to Tetsurou, the black-haired man was more of a quiet child who had to free Tetsurou and Koutarou from difficulties with terrifying regularities - albeit involuntarily.

Tsukishima gave the smaller man a compassionate nod and received the most beautiful smile in response, which ensured that Tsukishima stumbled into a hole in surprise and could just about be caught by Koutarou.

The man with the big grin and muscular shoulders supported Tsukishima as if he were no more than a feather and for a tiny moment Tsukishima's heart fluttered unusually.

“Be careful, Tadashi. Otherwise you will not only fall for Keiji but also for me.", Tetsurou purred behind Tsukishima and elicited a puff from the blonde.

"Who actually allowed you to tap such sayings?" He mumbled suppressed and Tetsurou gave a small laugh. "Well there are only two kinds of people - those who take my sayings or walk away and those who counterattack me." And with a crooked grin he added. “The latter are my favorite. So I get on people's nerves until I see what kind they belong to, _Blondie._ "

"So if I had the choice, I'd like to run away from you.", Tsukishima raised an eyebrow contemptuously and pursed his lips. "After all, then I would no longer have to listen to your pathetic attempts to flirt with me."

"Oya oya.", The black-haired man with the cat eyes continued to grin widely and wiggled his eyebrows. “I like you, Tadashi. Too bad that - "

The rest of his sentence was drowned out in a loud rumble, at that moment they had reached the market square and a cattle cart creaked and rumbled past them - again combined with a nod from the driver in Tsukishima's direction.

Slowly the area became more unsafe for Tsukishima, because he was sure one of his subjects would sooner or later trumpet a "Your Highness" out and then his good times as an unknown nobleman would be over.

Wakatoshi next to him towered over the crowd by a few inches and stoically stared straight out, no emotion on his face. Tsukishima was about to turn away and quietly ask Keiji if the man was always like this, when Wakatoshi suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

Another wagon rolled by, which had almost rolled over him.

He exhaled relieved and Wakatoshi looked at him seriously from above. “You have to be more careful, Tadashi. Something like that can end badly."

He looked Tsukishima up and down and if he would otherwise have found such a change of gaze unpleasant or even offensive, the giant's gaze burned pleasantly on his skin.

Inwardly writhing back and forth, Tsukishima returned the man's serious look and felt a nervous tingling sensation in his stomach as Wakatoshi nodded and said, "You seem to be fine. I'm glad."

"Tooooshi." It came from the side and Atsumu threw an arm around Wakatoshi's mighty shoulder, a playful grin on his lips.

"What do you think of keeping dear Tadashi here all to yourself?", He winked at Tsukishima and then made as if to put an arm around Tsukishima's shoulder, but Tsukishima just dodged backwards.

Instead of escaping to freedom, however, Tsukishima stumbled straight into Kiyoomi, who had looked at the crowds a little away from the group.

He literally winced at the touch of their skin, but still did help Tsukishima not to lose his balance by holding his hands.

Tsukishima immediately noticed how soft his counterpart's hands were and even if Kiyoomi immediately let go of him again, almost as if he had been burned, the feeling still lingered on Tsukishima's skin.

"Be careful.", The man mumbled and when Tsukishima stood on both feet again, Kiyoomi ran his hand through his hair, avoiding Tsukishima's gaze.

"Tadashi!", Came Osamu's voice from the front and with a final nod to Kiyoomi, Tsukishima turned around and looked for the gray-haired twin.

This one could not be overlooked when he parted his way through the crowd with a pastry and stopped in front of Tsukishima grinning. "They sell raisin braids here, I thought after your adventure in the forest, would you want one."

It wasn't the first time anyone had offered Tsukishima food or invited him on a dinner date, but something in the way Osamu smirked at him made Tsukishima reach for the bread.

Chewing with relish, he realized that he had now surely spent at least two hours with the seven young men without paying attention to the time.

And while he took a second bite and a guard rushed past them, Tsukishima remembered boiling hot that he had made this trip into the forest - which should only have lasted a few minutes - just to avoid the arrival of the princes.

The princes, who had been waiting for him for hours in the presence of a Yamaguchi who was probably going crazy with worry.

The last piece of bread got stuck in Tsukishima's throat as he walked to the group of his companions.

“I'm so sorry, but I have to go now. I forgot that I still have something to do!", He stammered overwhelmed and the seven men looked at him in surprise, before Tetsurou made a shooing motion with his hand and grinned: “ Then what are you waiting for? Run! We'll definitely see you again in the next few days!"

Tsukishima wasn't quite so sure about that, after all, he would have to spend the next few days in the presence of the princes and certainly not have time for evening excursions to the village, but he nodded and then ran off with one last wave in the direction of the castle.

Just as he was scurrying around the corner of the wall to the main entrance, he missed a completely dissolved Yamaguchi.

His best friend's eyes widened, his lower lip trembled, and instantly the guilty conscience stung Tsukishima's heart as Yamaguchi sobbed and fell around his neck.

Each of his sniffs and sobs was underlined with a punch to his chest and Tsukishima knew - he had deserved each of these blows.

How could he have forgotten his responsibility and his best friend in the presence of these people?

"You _fool_. You _stupid, stubborn donkey!_ “, Yamaguchi sobbed and stared at Tsukishima with red puffy eyes. "Do you know how worried I was? You were so damn lucky that the princes have not arrived yet and their court has been satisfied with beer, but an hour ago your horse just arrived WITHOUT YOU?! "

"Oh yes.", Tsukishima mumbled, "he threw me off because of the bandits."

“ _BANDITS?!_ ”; Yamaguchi's voice slid two octaves up and the man almost seemed about to faint.

"No no. Not real bandits. It was only men who wanted to see the wedding. They accompanied me to town."

"What." Was all Yamaguchi managed to say.

His best friend eyed him skeptically from top to bottom, his head bowed questioningly.

"You let strange men accompany you to town?"

Tsukishima nodded tightly, then sighed. “I didn't let it show that I was the prince, don't worry. You think I'm a passing nobleman who would like to see the spectacle of the next few days."

Still suspicious, Yamaguchi asked. “And who exactly are these guys? Nobles? Dealer?"

"That -", Tsukishima broke off, "I honestly don't really know, they just told me which kingdoms they come from, not what exactly their job is."

The brown-haired man took a dramatic breath. “Seriously, Tsukki. And I thought you were the adult one of the two of us. But apparently you're still a little kid for that sort of thing. What if they had kidnapped you?"

"Don't worry, I'm humanly unbearable, I think they would have given me back sooner or later."

Sighing, Yamaguchi closed Tsukishima in a tight hug, then punched his shoulder.

"You can only be happy that you are my best friend, otherwise I would have retired after this campaign."

Afterwards, smiling a little mildly, he said, “But now tell me who were these men who didn't recognize you and brought you home. You who would otherwise never voluntarily spend more than a minute with strangers. What was the matter that you endured their presence?"

And while Tsukishima told Yamaguchi in detail about the strange men, the night slowly settled over the royal castle - only Tsukishima remained a few hours later alone on his balcony and gave the men one last thought before he closed the windows and fell into a restless sleep.

Tsukishima stared in the mirror - facing him was a tall, slender figure, whose blonde curls were tied back in a braid.

Golden eyes pierced him, wandered over his deep green robe and the intricate embroidery.

A wish from his father that he should look as presentable as possible.

Just the thought of facing the princes in a few minutes made Tsukishima want to escape.

Lost in thought, he adjusted his sleeves, which framed his slender hands in a green hem and revealed the fine gold finger chains that Yamaguchi had brought him.

Each of them ran from one of his fingers over the back of Tsukishima's hand to the wrist and let his movements of the fingers glitter filigree in the sun.

 _"Like an angel. You shine like the most beautiful being under this sun._ ”, Yamaguchi's words echoed in his head and Tsukishima took a shaky breath.

Until late at night he and his best friend had been lying on Tsukishima's bed and talking - they both knew that the last days of their playful get-together had dawned.

The weight of knowledge compressed Tsukishima's chest like a stone and if he had had wings he would have spread them out and fled.

In less than a week he would give up the name Tsukishima forever and return to the kingdom of a prince, bound by duties and laws that he had never wanted.

"You're beautiful."

Tsukishima raised his head and immediately lowered it when he saw Akiteru standing in the doorway.

Of all the people who could have visited him, it had to be his brother who gave him the final coup de grace.

"Thank you brother."

“I'm here to pick you up for the ceremony. And to make sure that you don't run away again."

Tsukishima snorted, then straightened his back before giving the older brother a cool look. "Even if I did, I still run faster than you, old man."

Akiteru touched his chest and groaned: “Such wicked words from my own flesh and blood. Traitor."

Clicking his tongue, Tsukishima ran his hand through his hair again and freed some strands from the tight braid. "You have to expect that when you pour oil on the fire."

Smiling happily, the older brother leaned against the door frame.

“You will overtake us all one day. The cleverest prince in all ten kingdoms and when we all buttly slap our swords around the ears again, you will sit on your throne with a sigh and grimace. "

In response, Akiteru got a low snort and a mocking grin.

“If you already know that so well, why exactly do I have to get married again? Couldn't I have taken on the position of advisor as planned? "

This time it was up to his big brother to sigh and mumble, “I don't know. But it's father's will and even I can't say anything against it. "

Tsukishima nodded and continued tugging at his hem, until after a while Akiteru stepped behind him and took Tsukishima's crown from the box behind them.

Gold met blond curls as the sign of his prince status was placed on his head and Akiteru smiled bitterly.

“Now you're done, Kei. We shouldn't keep the suitors waiting any longer. "

“Yes, that would probably be a crime, considering that yesterday they arrived at court later than I did. Whatever they've been up to all along”, the younger prince scoffed.

"You don't have to complain at all, Mister I'll-run-away-so-I-don't-have-to-get-married."

And with that, Akiteru reached out his hand to Tsukishima and indicated a bow.

"Would the future bridegroom do me the honor of accompanying him to his throne?"

Tsukishima was tempted to just trudge past him, but then shook his head sniffly, grabbed Akiteru's hand and let himself be led along the long corridors.

From a distance he could hear the babble of voices in the throne room, according to Yamaguchi the princes had dragged half their court with them, which now populated the city.

When they reached the gallery, from which Tsukishima could take a first look into the hall, he swallowed dryly.

Unconsciously, he seemed to have clenched his hand around his brother's arm, because Akiteru stopped and gave Tsukishima's hand a light squeeze.

"Everything will be fine.", He mumbled confirming and Tsukishima laughed cheerlessly.

"You don't have to marry any prince either, you ran into your bride on the battlefield, you lucky old man."

"Well, would you have moved your butt out of the house more often -" Akiteru began, but went silent under Tsukshima's threatening gaze.

There was a silent exchange of gaze between the two, before Akiteru nodded to the herald, who knocked twice on his podium.

Immediately the audience fell silent and all eyes were on the spot where Tsukishima was supposed to descend the stairs.

The Herald cleared his throat and then announced solemnly in a loud voice: “I ask everyone present to welcome the king's sons. Akiteru, firstborn and heir to the throne, and Kei, secondborn and future bridegroom. Rise up for the highborn siblings."

Fanfares and drums sounded and with one last deep breath and a short smile from Akiteru, the siblings walked around the corner.

And if quiet conversations had just drowned out the melody of the instruments, now all noises died away and Tsukishima slowly raised his head to the swelling sound of the fanfare.

Glaring light met his eyes and he knew for himself that he had to shimmer like pure gold all over his body, the blond strands broken by the glow of thousands of candles.

But instead of smiling or even nodding to the people present, Tsukishima let his eyes wander coolly over the crowd and walked steadfastly towards his throne.

Only when he was seated did he turn slightly to his father and nod stoically to him.

There was still an almost overwhelming silence over the room and Tsukishima's heart contracted uncomfortably with every breath.

"I now ask the princes who will face the courtship of Prince Kei to step forward."

The Herald's voice sounded dull in Tsukishima's head and he swallowed the growing fear, his gaze fixed on the crowd, but too blurred to see anything.

Only the movement in the rows made him take a shaky breath and turn his head on the people who had stepped out - _and pause_.

In front of him, in the first row and unmistakably separated from the other people, stood seven men.

Seven men he hadn't seen for the first time.

"Your Highness.", Keiji was the first one to speak. “It is an honor to meet you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took less than two seconds for a deep voice to whisper into his ear from behind.
> 
> “Well, if that's not the “passing through noble” Tadashi. How very pleasant to meet you here."
> 
> Tsukishima shuddered unintentionally at the words and didn't even have to turn around to know who was whispering to him.
> 
> “Yes, I thought a celebration like this would be a great opportunity to meet new people. After all, almost nobody here seems to be who they claim to be."
> 
> The sharpness of his words lost its bite as a low chuckle sounded behind him.
> 
> "Too bad and I really thought we had a connection, Tadashi. Or should I rather say Crown Prince Kei to you, Your Highness? "

"Excuse me, what?!", Yamaguchi's voice cracked again and the little man stared at Tsukishima.

"So you're telling me that the men who found you in the woods yesterday are in reality your suitors?"

At Tsukishima's silent nod, Yamaguchi threw his arms up.

“Yes of course, why not? Why can't everything run normally in this household? It's almost like when Saeko threw Akiteru off his horse and captured him. And now the two are engaged."

“Tetsu ... Kuroo also threw me off my horse yesterday. Or rather, he frightened my horse and it threw me off."

Yamaguchi snorted. "I see a pattern and I don't like it."

Tsukishima had pulled his best friend behind one of the curtains almost immediately after the initial performance and the opening of the banquet and had been listening to the boy's tirades for minutes now.

Not that it detracted in any way from the fact that the seven charming men from the day before were now courting him.

"And you didn't notice that the men are named exactly like the men in the invitation?"

With a sigh, Tsukishima pressed two fingers against the bridge of his nose.

"No, as I said already, they only introduced themselves by their first names and they're a dime a dozen."

Yamaguchi stared at him in disbelief.

"But how high was the possibility of meeting twins who then also have the same names as the ones you are supposed to become engaged to?"

"Ok Ok, I understand that I'm stupid, you can shut up now." The blonde growled and Yamaguchi bared his teeth in amusement.

“Who would have thought that the day would come when you would voluntarily admit that. I should mark this in red on our calendar. As soon as you have married one of the princes, I will request that this be an official holiday."

_"Idiot."_

"I like you _too_." Yamaguchi grinned. “But don't you think you should reveal yourself to your guests again? After all, you already know them, I think we can skip the introductory phase."

That was exactly the whole point Tsukishima had been thinking about since the proclamation an hour ago.

In the end, he knew everything but also nothing about the men in their fancy uniforms.

Like Tsukishima, they too had veiled their identity and wore a mask, unwilling to reveal their prince status.

How sure could Tsukishima be that the rest of their words were true?

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it."

Yamaguchi grabbed Tsukishima's face and pulled it to his eye level.

“I'm sure the princes didn't trick you. You have to stop overthinking all the time. You go out there now, put a spell on one of them and then get married, understand? I want flowers and tears and a delicious cake!"

With a crooked smile, Yamaguchi pressed his forehead against Tsukishima's and mumbled, "You're my very best friend, but sometimes I could really kick you."

It took Tsukishima a moment to blink away the overwhelming feeling and then he joked dryly, “What kind words to cheer me up. You should do it professionally."

“Well, you see, this is my Tsukki as I know and love him. And now get out of there, I can see this guy with the messy black hair from here. Looks like he's searching for you."

With no further possibility of objection, Yamaguchi turned Tsukishima around and shoved him into the lighted room with a pat on the butt.

Once there, it took less than two seconds for a deep voice to whisper into his ear from behind.

“Well, if that's not the _“passing through noble” Tadashi_. How very pleasant to meet you here."

Tsukishima shuddered unintentionally at the words and didn't even have to turn around to know who was whispering to him.

“Yes, I thought a celebration like this would be a great opportunity to meet new people. After all, almost _nobody_ here seems to be who they claim to be."

The sharpness of his words lost its bite as a low chuckle sounded behind him.

"Too bad and I really thought we had a connection, Tadashi. Or should I rather say Crown Prince Kei to you, _Your Highness_? "

“I could ask you the same thing, _Prince Tetsurou_. When did you have planned to reveal to me that you were one of the suitors for my wedding?"

Kuroo smiled audibly, still on Tsukishima's back, and let one hand wander around Tsukishima's waist while the other grabbed his right hand and pulled the blonde against his chest.

“I wanted to reveal it to you at the moment if I had seen you on the sidelines today as onlookers. But look, apparently I was lucky and the nasty nobleman from the forest is actually my future husband."

Tsukishima snorted at this statement and just as he was about to point out to Kuroo that he definitely didn't want to marry a man like him, the music started.

Kuroo's grip on his hip tightened and the deep voice whispered in Tsukishima's ear again.

"Do you allow me this dance, _Kei_?"

Ignoring the budding goosebumps, Tsukishima turned around in the man's arms and noticed how perfectly his hands clasped him, how tight the fabric stretched over Kuroo's arms and how defiantly those cat eyes flashed at him.

"Only if you then give me the opportunity to escape your presence afterwards."

With another grin, Kuroo pulled him closer and whispered conspiratorially. "If that is still your wish after this dance, then for better or for worse I will have to give way to my competitors."

Without another word, Kuroo pulled Tsukishima closer and suddenly they followed the music as if by themselves - Tsukishima was led through the hall by Kuroo, the black-haired man's eyes never left Tsukishima's face.

The prince whirled Tsukshima lightly in a circle until the blonde had forgotten every dance step he had ever learned and only relied on the movements of his dance partner.

“You dance well. Totally contrary to your riding skills.“, Kuroo smirked and Tsukishima raised an eyebrow.

“You flatter me, Kuroo-san. But if I had wanted, my horse could have trampled you yesterday. "

Kuroo laughed and turned them one more time.

“Oh, I was quite sure that you didn't go down voluntarily. Or - ", he took a mock surprised breath, “did you wanted to get on your knees in front of me? A fact that I could definitely understand."

Keeping his gaze on Kuroo's flashing eyes, Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "You're so full of yourself, it's almost laughable."

"And yet you can't take your eyes off me, what a happy coincidence.", The black-haired grinned crookedly and Tsukishima suppressed a snort.

They continued to whirl in circles and now passed Bokuto and Akaashi for the second time, who were both dancing together and looking more than happy.

Kuroo followed Tsukishima's gaze and smiled. "They look great together, don't you think?"

Tsukishima nodded and for a brief moment his heart stumbled when he saw Akaashi smiling at Bokuto as the latter looked around briefly.

"Why -" he began, but choked down the rest of his question - since he already knew the answer.

“Why are they here when they clearly only have eyes for each other? Well, Kei, we all share the same fate. The secondborn of a kingdom should always be married off as dearly as possible, right?"

Kuroo's hand on Tsukishima's waist loosened a little and he exhaled audibly.

“Their parents want to connect new kingdoms, not strengthen the existing one. Therefore, like me, Bokuto and Akaashi will do everything in their power to meet the wishes of their families."

For the first time since they'd met a day ago, something like melancholy crossed the black-haired man's face and Tsukishima's heart contracted.

While he'd been so selfish to assume that each of these men had come here of their own free will, it turned out that he had to be the greatest fool of them all.

Now Sakusa's words also made sense.

_"They wanted to enjoy their freedom a little longer."_

Tsukishima's grip on Kuroo's shoulder seemed to have tightened unconsciously, because suddenly the latter pulled him to the side and carefully placed a finger under Tsukishima's chin.

"What is this depressed expression about? We all have our tasks to fulfill, but I would say that it could've been worse for each of us."

The unexpected closeness and Kuroo's words, making their way into Tsukishima's head like warm honey, made the blonde take a shaky breath. The red sheen on his cheeks was obvious.

Just as Kuroo was about to say something, the song ended and the man seemed to remember his role.

He bowed to Tsukishima and before Tsukishima could react, Kuroo had breathed a delicate kiss on the back of his hand.

“I thank you for this dance. But I'm sure that my comrades now also long for your presence."

The man straightened up. "However, I would be happy if you could join me again during the day."

With one last long look and a crooked smile that didn't quite reach Kuroo's eyes, the man said his goodbyes and made way for the other princes.

As if he had only been waiting for this moment, Osamu suddenly appeared in the blond man's field of vision and bowed.

“Now that Tetsu has seduced you into a dance, may I ask for your attention? Not to dance, but I would be very happy if you would accompany me a little."

Still a little overwhelmed by the realization that each of these men had to carry the same burden as himself, Tsukishima only nodded slightly and let Osamu lead them out of the hall.

As soon as they had left the hall, the silence fell over them like a blanket and Tsukishima took a deep breath.

Osamu smiled at him understandingly, a warm, almost heartfelt expression on his face.

"I suppose you avoid the crowds otherwise? Was that the reason why you were alone in the forest yesterday?"

When Tsukishima nodded, Osamu grunted in understanding.

"I understand you, because while my brother always has to be the center of everything that happens, I have absolutely no problem disappearing into the crowd."

With an inviting wave of his hand he asked: “May I kidnap you outside? If we stay here any longer, Atsumu will burst out in a few moments and disturb our togetherness."

A slight smile crept onto Tsukishima's lips, he knew the problems between siblings only too well and before he knew it, the two of them hurried hand in hand out of the corridor and into the fresh air.

As soon as the sunlight hit Tsukishima's skin, an almost grateful expression settled on Osamu's face and he squeezed Tsukishima's hand a little tighter.

"I'm sure you're getting told it every day, but you look stunning.", The man mumbled suppressed and again today Tsukishima's heart stumbled briefly.

"Where were those compliments when I was lying on the ground in the forest yesterday?" joked Tsukishima, ignoring the unusually light feeling in his chest.

“Well you didn't look like someone who wanted to be charmed in this situation. In addition, my brother has already done this.", Osamu pointed out and Tsukishima nodded silently.

"One question has been burning on my mind since yesterday.", Osamu turned around and led Tsukishima to one of the benches.

"You don't seem to me to be the man who dares to go on adventures and although you wanted to escape the crowds, there probably would've been more appealing places than the depths of the forest."

The fair-haired prince raised his head, gold eyes met gray ones.

Osamus smile tugged and pulled Tsukishima towards him like a rope and Tsukishima mumbled: "I wanted to try to anger you by missing the welcoming ceremony and hoped you might leave."

The gray-haired twin was silent for a moment, then a slight curl formed on his lips before he laughed heartily.

"And I thought I was the only one who wanted to avoid this wedding."

Relief ran off Tsukishima like drops of water and he smiled slightly himself.

“No, by God, you can't even imagine how many nights I had been looking for ways to change my father's mind. But now - ", a quick look at the other man, “it's not that bad, I think. "

Osamu returned the look gratefully, and after a moment of silence, he extended his hand to Tsukishima.

“We should go inside again. Even if I don't like to let you go again, decency dictates that the others at least should have a chance."

"How very decent.", Tsukishima smirked, his lips twisted in an almost mocking smile and Osamu shrugged his shoulders.

“Courtly Etiquette. I don't want to get you into trouble because you disappeared with me for so long."

The wink that followed made Tsukishima cough.

Although Osamu seemed to be a gentleman through and through, he didn't seem too shy to tap a few lines.

But before Tsukishima could give further thought to this discovery, they ran into the cloister in Ushijima and his red-haired companion - the same man who had examined Tsukishima in such a challenging manner two weeks earlier.

The realization that the calm and almost stoic Ushijima Wakatoshi and this guy were friends was something that Tsukishima didn't want to be very clear about.

He looked skeptically at the red-haired man who had playfully placed a hand on Ushijima's shoulder and did not take his gaze from Tsukishima.

"Ah Wakatoshi.", Osamu smiled and led Tsukishima to the two men.

"I've already asked myself who will be Tsukishima's companion from here, but I think this question is answered now."

"It would be my honor.", Ushijima explained calmly and bowed to the blond prince.

After another look at Osamu, Tsukishima put his hand in the other man's large hand and let himself be led through the quiet hallways of the palace.

"I'm surprised.", Ushijima broke the silence after a while. “Yesterday I still thought you were a wandering nobleman and now I'm learning that you have been the destination of my journey from the beginning. Actually, I should feel something like indignation that you have led us by the nose, shouldn't I?"

Tsukishima raised his head and felt Ushijima's olive-green eyes rest on him, the taller man's gaze directed straight at him.

Like the day before, his gaze was inescapable and bored into Tsukishima's skin like needles.

But even now these almost analytical eyes caused goose bumps rather than discomfort and the blond man swallowed dryly.

"Perhaps. I didn't do it to deceive you as a prince, I did it because I didn't know who you were and revealing myself as a prince could have had negative consequences for me."

Understanding, Ushijima nodded, and for a moment they walked next to each other in complete silence until they reached one of the many balconies.

There Ushijima led Tsukishima to the railing and stood so close to him that Tsukishima felt downright tiny.

The other man loomed up like a mountain made man, and each of his arms could have broken Tsukishima like a stick.

The thought of being held by those massive arms made Tsukishima's stomach feel unusually warm.

"I didn't ask the question earlier to reproach you with anything."

Ushijima's voice sounded deep and warm, and a little bit so that Tsukishima wanted to hear it more often.

“I already said that I am confused. Because although I should feel something like outrage, I only feel very warm when I'm around you. That's strange, am I right?"

Tsukishima, who was not used to being confronted with feelings so directly, stared down at his fingers.

Now it was a matter of weighing up how he should react to this revelation, but as if Ushijima had felt his sudden discomfort, he put a hand on Tsukishima's back.

The warm hand rested there comfortingly and supported Tsukishima, although he was leaning firmly against the parapet.

The minutes passed without either of them saying a word and where it would have been uncomfortable for anyone else, the silence between them seemed to be of a relaxed nature.

Ushijima's hand moved barely noticeably downwards, an act which Tsukishima would have reciprocated with cold words and a slap in any other person, but he let it happen without a word.

“A connection between us would bring many advantages to each of us.”, Ushijima began, “but I think that you would quickly get tired of me. I'm not really an entertaining person.", The man admitted and looked at Tsukishima seriously.

"My strengths lie in physical and not in interpersonal contact. I often find it quite difficult."

Tsukishima's heart started beating again, showing himself so openly and vulnerable was something that Tsukishima considered impossible for himself.

But here Ushijima stood and revealed his self-doubts as if it were nothing for him.

Unsure whether such a reaction was appropriate, Tsukishima carefully placed a hand on Ushijima's and gave it a light squeeze.

On the confused look of the man, he said: "I think you are a far more entertaining person than many of the men who tried to court me."

A warm smile crossed the other man's face and he looked at Tsukishima seriously. "I would like to hug you right now, may I?"

Stopping the laugh, Tsukishima nodded and a second later was pulled into a tight hug that left him breathless.

Ushijima's body wrapped itself around him like a warm coat and Tsukishima had never felt smaller and at the same time so huge.

But as quickly as the hug came, it was gone as quickly and Ushijima held out his hand to him.

“I will now accompany you back to the hall. I thank you for your honest words and your time."

As on the way there, they both spent it in silence and Tsukishima had enough time to reflect on his thoughts.

So far all of his suitors had turned out to be pleasant personalities and apart from Kuroo's teasing manner, they all seemed to approach the situation in a more matter-of-fact and calm manner.

So there were four left - two of which, according to Kuroo, had only had eyes for each other for years and as much as Tsukishima's heart had beat faster with Bokuto's strong arms or Akaashi's angelic smile, he could hardly separate the two people.

Not that he would want to at all.

Kuroo's words echoed in his head _. "We all have our tasks to fulfill here."_

And if Bokuto's and Akaashi's supposed to be paying their respects, Tsukishima wouldn't stand in their way.

In the meantime, deep in thought, they had reached the great hall and Ushijima bowed one last time before he headed straight for his red-haired companion and Tsukishima was left alone.

For the first time that day he had the chance to take a deep breath and catch something like air.

From the buffet, Yamaguchi toasted to him with a broad grin and then continued talking to the companion of the Miya twins.

Tsukishima had by no means escaped the fact that Yamaguchi had laid an eye on the darkly tanned messenger of the fox realm and he smiled at Yamaguchi when a red sheen crossed his face, as soon as the messenger put an arm around his shoulder.

Another companion of the Miyas, a man with a fox-like face and half-closed green eyes, was engrossed in a conversation with Osamu, a hand suspiciously low on Osamu's back and when the man briefly raised his head, he flashed Tsukishima almost defiantly.

"I have the feeling that all of your suitors have already their eyes on another person."

The unmistakably mocking voice behind him made Tsukishima turn his head, his brow furrowed, and he clicked his tongue.

"Who actually asked you to comment on any of my relationships, Kuroo-san?"

The black-haired man gave him a provocative grin and then laughed out loud.

“I don't know why it bothers you so much. Isn't it nice to have someone to bother with the obviously tragic developments of this festival? After all, you showed up pretty quickly every time."

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “Do you really think that you can approach me like that? When you try to portray the other ones badly?"

Kuroo laughed again. “I don't do any of this, but I saw in your eyes that you figured the necessary conclusions on your own. I think you're intelligent enough not to overlook the obvious."

"How flattering of you.", Tsukishima snarled and the man next to him stepped closer until he whispered softly in Tsukishima's ear: "When you meet Sakusa, you should definitely mention the blond Miya twin. And then tell me afterwards what you saw."

With these words and another bow, Kuroo moved away from Tsukishima's field of vision and the blond man didn't know if he should be indignant that his heart had beat like crazy at Kuroo's voice.

There was something about the man that attracted Tsukishima like light to moths, let it be his depraved humor, the constant teasing manner, or the fact that he was already better at analyzing Tsukishima than people he'd spent his entire life with.

Kuroo was observant.

Perhaps more observant than Tsukishima himself, but Kuroo hid it behind a facade of bad pick-up lines and uncombed hair.

In a way, they weren't that dissimilar, Tsukishima noted with horror, and gave the black-haired man's back a sour look.

"What are you looking so angry about?", Another unmistakable voice reached Tsukishima's ear and the young prince turned to Akaashi, who was leaning against a pillar next to him and eyeing him interested.

"Oh, I was just trying to ignore your childhood friend with the cruel hairstyle.", Tsukishima said and Akaashi gave him an amused giggle.

A noise like the sound of the brightest bells and Tsukishima puffs up because his heart contracted from being overwhelmed.

To know that this person was already being held by someone else should have given him a stab at times, but he only felt a deep satisfaction at the sight of Akaashi's bright face.

This time it was he who held out an arm to Akaashi and asked: “Would you like to accompany me to the courtyard? We have a fantastic garden and I would like to learn more about you."

Careful to walk slowly past Bokuto and smile at him apologetically, Tsukishima led Akaashi out of the tumult into the shady lawns of the garden.

Holding Akaashi by the arm was so different from Ushijima or Kuroo - where the other men consisted of edges and muscles, Akaashi was all soft skin and fine curves.

His hand was like a silk scarf on Tsukishima's, a shade of rose scent hung over them and Tsukishima had to blink to make sure that this man next to him was indeed a real person.

They fit together like a puzzle.

Akaashi's slender fingers danced their own little melody over Tsukishima's skin, enchanting the blond prince as he led Akaashi through the vines.

They came to a stop under one of the trees and Akaashi let his hand wander playfully to Tsukishima's collar, his eyes fixed on Tsukishima's face like endless deep blue gems.

"I should've guessed last night that you are not a simple nobleman." Akaashi muttered, one finger under Tsukishima's chin and smiled mildly. "No simple nobleman shines like the sun as soon as a moonbeam hits him."

Tsukishima inhaled through his nose, trying to get control of his beating heart.

The words burned on his tongue when he looked at Akaashi and replied: "And I should've known that a man like you has already given his heart to someone else."

Akaashi's finger on his chin paused for a heartbeat before a relieved and slightly surprised smile crept onto his lips and he giggled.

“It seems the secret is no longer a secret. But yes, it's probably true that for years my heart has belonged only to Koutarou. Forgive me for this little dishonesty."

"You don't have to apologize for a decision of your heart.", it cost Tsukishima all control not to get a fluttering heartbeat in front of the other person.

He could understand any man who would travel the world for Akaashi, by God, at that moment he was ready to take the smaller man in his arms and not let go of him.

But instead of doing just that, it was up to Tsukishima to bow and thank for Akaashi's attention and time.

A gesture that the man acknowledged with a blissful smile.

As soon as Tsukishima had straightened up again, Akaashi leaned forward and breathed what was probably the lightest and most tender kiss on his cheek.

“You're a good man, Kei. Should I meet you in a new life, I will not let you go.", smiled the smaller man and then turned around as light as a feather to disappear into the cloister with one last lingering look.

Tsukishima was left alone under the tree, the feeling of Akaashi's lips still burning on his skin and only when he ran a finger over his cheek did he close his eyes in resignation.

"Bokuto Koutarou, I hope you hold this person as tightly as you can, because anything else would be sinful", he muttered to himself, one hand buried in his hair.

Ignoring the still fluttering heartbeat that Akaashi's kiss had left behind, Tsukishima sauntered back toward the great hall.

His path came to an abrupt end when a blond-haired person stood in his way and grinned broadly at him.

“Here ya are! I've been looking for ya everywhere!” Atsumu looked at Tsukishima out of interested eyes, one hand on his hip. "Ya can't stay away from the great hall all day, how am I supposed to find ya in this huge castle by myself?"

Tsukishima suppressed an amused snort and just shrugged in resignation. “Now you've found me. Do you want something specific or do we want to go dancing?"

 _"Dancing."_ , The blonde etched and stuck out his tongue, almost in disgust. “Ya can inspire Tetsu or Kou with that, but not me. I've an idea what I would much rather do."

He extended a hand to Tsukishima and a playful smile played on his lips. "Would ya do me the honor and give me a few minutes of ya time, _Your Highness_?"

Tsukishima stared indecisively at the outstretched hand and Atsumu cocked his head. “Don't worry, I won't kidnap ya! At least not _yet._ ” A wink and suddenly he and Osamu looked more alike than ever before.

With a sigh and a theatrical puff, Tsukishima let Atsumu lead them through the corridors until they got behind the castle, where the archer's target practice took place.

"Don't you say you dragged me here so that I could watch you doing your target practice?", Tsukishima asked skeptically and Atsumu just laughed.

"Oh no, I heard from ya best friend, his name was Yamaguchi or something like that, that ya abhor any kind of fight."

"Well, at least one piece of information that is spread by me that is true.", Tsukishima mumbled and looked back at Atsumu, who, despite his denial, took a bow from one of the boxes and shouldered it.

"Didn't you say I wouldn't have to watch you?", Tsukishima's patience was few and far between on normal days, but on physically demanding days like these he didn't feel like joking around.

Atsumu didn't seem to understand him in the least and just as Tsukishima wanted to announce that he was going to leave again, the blond man stepped up to him and handed Tsukishima the bow with a challenging smile.

"Ya shouldn't watch me do it, ya should lead the bow yourself."

A snort escaped the young prince and he stared at the bow in his hand as if he were about to drop his hand.

"You can't mean that seriously," he uttered, but Atsumu continued to smile broadly and stepped a little closer. "It is said that ya are the smartest person at court and yet ya refuse new knowledge just because ya cannot learn it in books?"

Tsukishima bit his tongue and returned Atsumu's gaze coolly. “I _do not_ deny knowledge. I just don't see any point in violence."

“Who said anything about violence? I don't ask ya to kill a man or go hunting. I just want to see ya draw the bowstring and feel every fiber of the arrow in ya fingertips. Precision and passion are things that cannot be learned in books, ya know?"

As if he had attacked him personally with this statement, Tsukishima felt the need to show this inflated prince that he was very well able to learn just that through his books.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Tsukishima grabbed the bow and drew it - the sight stretched over his fingertips, the arrow didn't move an inch and Tsukishima held his breath.

The feel of the bristles of the end of the arrow, the wood in his hand, the target that was so far away from him - everything suddenly seemed so clear and he breathed out.

In and out, in and out, tense and let go.

The arrow flew, flew as far as he had never seen an arrow fly, and then missed the target by a good five meters.

And although Tsukishima's inner perfectionist cursed, strangely enough, his heart beat faster with joy and he cast a triumphant look at Atsumu.

The latter looked at him with a big grin on his face and nodded. “Ya felt it, didn't ya? In this one brief moment ya're freer than any bird."

With an almost blissful smile, he added a little more quietly: "When I first saw this look at Omi's face, I thought that I would never see anything more beautiful in life again."

Tsukishima avoided laughing at the other's words - so that was what Kuroo had meant. He should have known.

"You seem to be very fond of Sakusa.", Tsukishima said drawn out and handed the bow to Atsumu.

“Oh yes, Omi is a special person.”, He smiled and then said to Tsukishima, “but ya'd better forget that I said that, because after all, this is about ya hand and not that of other princes."

Atsumu held out his arm to Tsukishima. “It was definitely a pleasure for me to take a quick look at ya fighting spirit. Should ya choose me, I will tease out of ya the desire to learn sword fighting."

"What for? So that I can kill you at a suitable opportunity? ”, Tsukishima's lips curled up in amusement and Atsumu gave him a hearty laugh. "That too. My brother may say I'm exhausting, but he doesn't have to listen to me running through the kitchen every night trying a new recipe."

As expected, the two brothers had spoken out against each other, a fact that amused Tsukishima more than it probably should and he smiled mildly.

"Who are ya going to meet next?", The voice of the blonde tore Tsukishima out of his thoughts and he shrugged his shoulders. “Officially, Bokuto and Sakusa remain. Although I probably won't have long conversations with the former."

Atsumu nodded slowly and then grinned. "Oh yeah, the love, am I right?"

"Yes.", Tsukishima saw Sakusa appear in the distance and a smile flicker over Atsumu's face, "the love."

"Hey OMI-OMI!" Atsumu waved and the man in front of them visibly winced at the loud voice before he threw a withering look at Atsumu.

"Is there a day when you're not completely annoying and absolutely unbearable?" Growled the black-haired man and Tsukishima suppressed a loud laugh, but left it with an amused twitch of the corners of his mouth.

With a friendlier expression on his face, but not really relaxed, Sakusa turned to Tsukishima and nodded to him.

"Your Highness. I'm happy to meet you here. Even if I have to say that I would have assessed your taste differently when it comes to accompaniment."

"What does that mean, huh, Omi-Omi?!" Atsumu rumbled off and stared defiantly at the other man from below, who grimaced as if he had encountered a very annoying insect.

"Wouldn't you prefer to go for a walk, Your Highness?" Sakusa completely ignored Atsumu's approach and looked pleadingly at Tsukishima over his head.

"If you wish.", Tsukishima said drawn out and raised an eyebrow as Atsumu groaned in exasperation. “Always these formalities. Get out of here, together. See y'all later!"

And with another grumble, which sounded suspiciously like a curse against the black-haired man, Atsumu stomped off - leaving behind an embarrassed Sakusa and a confused but amused Tsukishima.

The pearly-skinned man wiped some of the black strands off his face and then pointed to the gravel path ahead.

Tsukishima immediately noticed that he renounced the obligatory handing out of the hand or arm and kept a certain distance from Tsukishima even now.

"Forgive the demeanor of this idiot.", Sakusa began after a while. "I never asked to have him around me all the time, but apparently he has taken a liking in me because I cannot get rid of him."

He shook himself as if he had to relive a creepy memory and then looked at Tsukishima sideways.

“Enough about him. As I heard, you're interested in the art of healing and science, instead of mindless sword fights like other _persons_."

Tsukishima smiled at the new swipe at Atsumu and then nodded.

“You heard that right. My brother has always brought me books from his travels."

Sakusa made an understanding sound. “The library in my kingdom is one of the largest in any of the ten kingdoms. Back then, my father had the best librarians in the world come together to set it up."

The man paused for a moment and then a red sheen formed on his cheeks as he said, “If you want, I could show you one day. If you happen to be with us."

Tsukishima gave him a grateful smile. "Yes, that sounds good. But you can be sure that I will try to steal the rarest books for my own collection."

A brief grin crossed the man's face. "You are welcome to try that."

As in a fairy tale, a ray of sunlight hit Sakusa's jet-black hair and got caught in the strands. The skin, so pearly white in contrast to the black curls, seemed to glow and Tsukishima held his breath.

If Akaashi possessed something like a natural beauty, Sakusa seemed to shine like an unearthly being at very specific moments.

Elegance, unshaped by earthly influences, a gem above the thousand and thousand pebbles.

"Allow me to say that, but you are one of the most beautiful people I have ever met.", Tsukishima did not know where he got these words from and yet he felt the truth behind them.

The way Sakusa looked at him, behind his long black eyelashes and with a distinct red sheen on his cheeks, Tsukishima suspected he heard compliments of this kind far too seldom.

"And I always thought he was joking.", Sakusa's voice sounded confused, distant and thoughtful and even without asking Tsukishima knew who he was talking about.

“I don't think he'd lie to you. He doesn't have a filter, but as much as he struts around, I see how much he values you, Sakusa."

Overwhelmed, he snorted. “Crazy, I come to you at your court to ask for your hand and instead it is you who give me tips. If father only knew that."

This sentence kept Tsukishima silent.

Of course Sakusa was right, they were all here for a specific reason.

Still, his father's words echoed in his head even now. _"You are a man with a big heart and would do anything for your family and friends."_

Although he probably didn't know any of these men for more than a day, he couldn't calmly step in the way of a relationship that had existed so much longer than his simmering feelings now.

With this insight and a thankfully silent Sakusa, the two strolled around a moment longer before they entered the building again and Sakusa bowed.

“I'll probably go looking for the twins. Thank you for your wise words, Tsukishima-kun."

Sakusa had just turned around and walked away when Bokuto was already storming towards him.

The man with the broad shoulders and the even broader smile beamed all over his face when he saw Tsukishima and threw himself into a sweeping bow.

"May I ask for the next dance?"

As expected, Bokuto didn't even wait for an answer from Tsukishima, but grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled him onto the dance floor behind him.

Once there, he closed his arms tightly around the blond prince and began to whirl him through the hall to the fast beat of the music.

Whirling was actually the right word here, because Bokuto used all his strength to turn Tsukishima and to lift him at the right moments.

At the first lifting figure, Tsukishima had clung to the man's shoulders in fright, but soon he understood that Bokuto would never let him fall and he relaxed more and more.

Bokuto's dance was as fast and unconventional as the man himself - crazy twists, dance steps that Tsukishima had never seen before, and so many lifting figures that he felt dizzy.

But with every step, with every beat, he felt how he found himself more and more in Bokuto's rhythm.

Where the other man pulled, Tsukishima gave in and bright yellow eyes fixed him permanently.

"You dance really well.", Bokuto laughed after another turn and Tsukishima smiled. “I heard that somewhere else today. Only there it was connected with a subsequent insult."

Bokuto's grin widened, if that was even possible, and he pulled Tsukishima a little closer. "That sounds like Tetsu's pathetic attempts to flirt."

"Is it recently fashionable to insult someone while flirting?" Asked Tsukishima, leaning back and letting Bokuto pull him into an almost lying position.

The man above beamed at him, one muscular arm wrapped around Tsukishima's waist and a second insignificantly below.

"Well it's definitely a way of securing your attention when you are still talking about him in my presence, am I right?"

The realization of this made Tsukishima pause in his movement and he almost forgot that they were still dancing.

So he winced when Bokuto pulled him easily and lifted Tsukishima as if he weighed no more than a feather.

"Keiji has probably already told you as I know him, but you are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.", Bokuto said with a smile that was so full of open and honest affection that Tsukishima briefly stopped breathing.

Picking up his words from the bottom of the facts, he stammered a croaking "He didn't put it that way exactly." And Bokuto cocked his head with a surprised expression on his face.

"That amazes me.", His hand ran down Tsukishima's slim back in admiration, "normally Keiji holds back, but I thought he would take the chance and reveal his true thoughts to you."

Suddenly the man seemed to register that he had just revealed Akaashi's feelings towards Tsukishima, although the latter had obviously not done it himself.

A startled expression settled on the gray-haired prince's face and he covered his mouth with his free hand.

"Oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that."

Everything about Bokuto reminded Tsukishima at that moment of a puppy who had noticed he had made a mistake and he couldn't help but laugh.

The noise not only made Bokuto pause immediately in his brooding, but also caused a few turning heads in the hall.

Tsukishima could swear to hear Yamaguchi's voice, who realized in disbelief that someone had made the golden boy laugh honestly.

"So ... so ...", Bokuto stammered to himself, mouth slightly open and standing in awe of Tsukishima. "I..your ... what I wanted to say was -"

“That you're really breathtakingly beautiful. And your smile lights up the whole room."

As if out of nowhere Akaashi had appeared next to Bokuto and Tsukishima and put an arm around his partner's waist, which elicited a surprised noise from the taller man.

At the confused look of Bokuto, Akaashi just smiled and said softly. "He knows it."

Like a house of cards, Bokuto's facade collapsed, a grateful grin on his face and not a second later Tsukishima was pulled into a tight hug.

“What luck! You don't even know what fear I felt when it was said that Keiji and I would be offered to you for your marriage."

He let go of Tsukishima, but the hand on his and Akaashi's hip remained.

"You have to know that when I was a little kid I promised Keiji that I would marry him someday and suddenly it was said that the man of my dreams might belong to someone else."

Tsukishima could well imagine the pain of the two and thanked Kuroo inwardly that he had let him in on the men's secret.

As much as he could trust his powers of observation in other ways, with Bokuto and Akaashi his own earthly will seemed to have taken over and clouded his clarity.

Two men so different and yet equally enchanting had had an easy time playing with Tsukishima's heart.

While he could have imagined a future with Akaashi in the midst of books and readings, the prospect of a life alongside Bokuto, who took him on trips and made him laugh so easily, was a tempting fantasy.

Not many people had intellectually matched Tsukishima until now, but Akaashi seemed to exude wisdom and deliberation through his watchful eyes alone.

While Bokuto, although he seemed to be of a lighter temper than Akaashi, faced Tsukishima honestly and openly, the emotions spread out like on a table and there was no chance to lose oneself in one's own insecurities.

To be a lover of one as well as the other would surely be fulfilling.

"You don't have to thank me.", Tsukishima smiled resignedly, "just make sure that you get married soon, otherwise I'll still regret my decision."

While Bokuto glared at him grinning, Akaashi gave Tsukishima an honest smile and gave his hand a light squeeze.

“Let your heart guide you on your further path, Tsukishima Kei. But I think you know now where your path will lead you."

With these words, Akaashi pulled a confused Bokuto behind him and left Tsukishima alone on the dance floor.

The party was still rustling around him and Tsukishima could hear his father's voice muffled, telling stories about him.

His gaze wandered through the room and, as if in slow motion, he gradually captured all of his guests.

Osamu and his servant were standing near the buffet, still deep in conversation, and Tsukishima noticed how Osamu's thumb seemed to be carelessly drawing small circles on the other's back.

To their right sat Ushijima and his red-haired companion, whose hand rested on Ushijima's thigh, while he was telling a story.

Ushijima's face was adorned with a tiny little smile, a fact that made Tsukishima sigh inwardly.

In the door frame, Sakusa and Atsumu chatted animatedly and a few meters further on, Bokuto and Akaashi swayed to a song while dancing together.

Yamaguchi and the dark-skinned companion of the Miya twins also danced, Yamaguchi's face buried fiery red in his chest, while the other man seemed to be whispering something in his ear.

As nervous as Yamaguchi looked, Tsukishima assumed that he would otherwise only hear such similar murmurs in bed.

It felt a little final, the decision he made at that moment, but how did his father put it so beautifully?

“ _Should someone manage to get into his heart, he would do everything to ensure that this person stays there. He was a fighter and always ready to face a challenge."_

With long strides, Tsukishima stepped out of the great hall and took a deep breath.

Fresh air filled his lungs.

The sun was already low over the roofs of their small town and he glanced left and right before leaving the courtyard and making his way to the stables.

He could see his horse from afar and a knowing smile crossed his face when he found the horse saddled.

With a shake of his head, he grabbed the holster and led the Arab out of the dugout.

"Well, do you want to go for a ride?"

Tsukishima bit his tongue, although the smile reached his lips anyway and he swung himself onto his horse, ignoring the man next to him who was sitting on a horse himself.

"Shouldn't you be on the lookout for me at the party to continue teasing me with your flirtations?", Asked Tsukishima Kuroo and the other man grinned broadly.

"Shouldn't _you_ actually be at the party and wait for your suitors?"

"The air was too stuffy for me."

"Oh and you thought a little ride into the forest would be a good option, wouldn't you?"

Tsukishima turned around and looked directly at Kuroo, who had leaned forward teasingly and was studying Tsukishima with curious eyes.

"Maybe this is also my way of trying to flee from you and your advances?"

"You seem to think a lot about me, if you even leave your own party because of that.", The black-haired man purred and Tsukishima snorted in amusement.

"As I said - you are so full of yourself."

Kuroo laughed out loud. "Says the one who assumed that all of his suitors came here on a voluntary basis."

"Did you?", Tsukishima's question seemed to make Kuroo pause for a moment, but immediately the playful grin reappeared on his face.

"Even if not, I'm pretty sure that even if each of these men hadn't already been in love or in steady hands, you would still only have thought of me."

"Pffft.", Tsukishima suppressed a laugh and gave his horse a light pat.

“You told me once that I was bad at riding. How about a little race? From here to the place where you found me yesterday."

And without giving Kuroo a chance to object, Tsukishima gave his horse another slap and instantly the horse trotted to a quick gallop on the main road.

The world raced around Tsukishima and for a moment he felt like the arrow he had shot earlier - he flew wild and free.

His hair loosened from his braid and fell into his face, the wind whipped around his clothes and like a golden lightning he rushed through the streets.

Again and again he could hear Kuroo's horse behind him, the hooves a steady drumming on the earthy ground and Tsukishima grinned broadly.

Even if Kuroo gave everything, this was his element and he would never catch him.

The blond man felt an ease like never before, the thought of being chased through the streets by his future partner made the adrenaline pulsate through his veins.

Faster and faster, the two men dashed through the busy streets, dodging carts and traders and approaching the forest further and further.

As soon as his horse had set its first hoof on the forest path, Tsukishima ducked his head and clicked once loudly.

As if on command, his horse began to meander through the trees, leaving the path and disappearing further and further into the undergrowth.

Tsukishima could see the rock wall at some distance where he had met the men for the first time and was already about to celebrate his victory with a jubilation when suddenly a shadow shot out of the darkness and threw Tsukishima off his horse for the second time within a few hours.

Outraged, Tsukishima stared into the broadly grinning face of Kuroo, who was crouched on his hip.

"I won."

“You cheated. Throwing me from the horse was never mentioned.", Growled Tsukishima.

"Oh, I thought we should make it a ritual for you to fall for me." Kuroo's response elicited a grin from Tsukishima and he propped himself up from the floor, still lying, his head closer to Kuroos than ever before.

“But you're the one who can't keep his fingers off me. How can you speak of "falling for you"? "

Kuroo's lips played an amused smile and he took Tsukishima lightly by the chin. “Oh if it had been up to me, none of the others would have seen you after our dance. I made my decision the moment you told me I couldn't even afford a real hairdresser."

Tsukishima's heart pounded against his chest so loudly that he couldn't even roll his eyes properly.

"You are the strangest man I have ever met, Kuroo Tetsurou."

"And yet you want to kiss me so badly, Tsukishima Kei."

Without giving the black-haired man another answer, Tsukishima pulled Kuroo down to him and into a bumpy, first kiss.

It might not be the best kiss ever, with too many teeth and definitely too much tongue, but Tsukishima was happy to be lying down, the kiss swept him of his feet.

Kuroo's hands got caught in his hair, coarse, warm fingers combed through blond strands and created a scorch trace wherever they touched the skin.

At some point Tsukishima just forgot to breathe, gasped for air and not a second later their lips found each other again.

They danced around, found their own rhythm, and clung to each other like two drowning people.

Tsukishima couldn't say how much time had passed - whether five minutes or five hours, but when they broke apart after ages, an overwhelmed smile hung on the lips of the two men.

Without completely separating from each other, always careful to have at least one hand on the other's body, they pulled each other to their feet.

Kuroo's arms cupped Tsukishima as soon as they stood, almost instantly and rough, sore kissed lips pressed against Tsukishima's one more time.

This time the kiss was less hectic and felt like the rush after a gallop, slowly, lovingly.

"Kei.", Kuroo's voice sounded rough and it gave Tsukishima goosebumps. "Do you remember what I said to you about the two types of people that exist?"

Tsukishima thought for a moment, his mind distracted by Kuroo's hand, which was drawing circles on his lower back. "Didn't you say something about people who reply your teasing and people who run away because of it?"

"Exactly.", A kiss on the back of Tsukishima's hand. “I would like to ask you if you are willing not to run away and stay with me? Is the golden boy with the silver tongue ready to put his sharp tongue to the test and henceforth fight his way through life by my side?"

Another kiss. "For better or for worse?"

Tsukishima cocked his head, an incredulous smile on his face, while his heart pounded to the beat of a gallop.

“Is that supposed to be a proposal, Tetsurou? If so, ask me again."

Kuroo grinned and pulled Tsukishima even closer.

"Tsukishima Kei, son and heir to the throne of the Crows' Kingdom, golden boy with the silver tongue, I have only known you for 24 hours, but the moment your cool words hit me and your eyes sparkled fiercely at me, I knew that I haven't traveled in this country for nothing. Would you do me the honor and take me as your husband? I don't care if I should stay here with you or if we start a new life together far away – as long as you give me the chance to spend my life with you."

A tiny smile crossed Tsukishima's face.

"You really _are_ the strangest man I have ever met."

"Does that mean yes?", Kuroo asked and pulled Tsukishima closer, which elicited a snort from the blonde and he kissed Kuroo again.

"Of course that means yes!".

_Kuroo Kei_ was woken up by the chirping of a bird and yawned softly as the first rays of sunshine of the beginning day fell into his bedroom.

Tired he lolled a little and then snuggled closer to the warm body on his right.

 _Kuroo Tetsurou_ slept calmly, just pulled Kei a little closer, one arm wrapped around the blonde.

Kei looked at the sleeping man for a moment, then poked his nose and mumbled, "Tetsu, wake up. In a few minutes Tadashi will come into the room and by then you should have at least some clothes on."

In response, he got a tired grumble and a pillow that was pressed defensively into his face.

"I curse this castle of early risers," said Tetsurou's pillow.

Kei smiled slightly and then continued to run a finger over Tetsurou's belly, not overlooking the other's goose bumps.

“Come on now. Today is the big day. Koutarou and Keiji are coming to visit and I would like to present my clothed husband to them."

" _Husband._ ", A sigh from Tetsurou, "it still feels like the greatest gain when you put it that way."

"I can also call you a lazy late riser if you don't get up soon.", Kei etched, but couldn't completely banish the loving smile from his face.

"Yeah," Kuroo turned around with a groan and cuddled his face in Tsukishima's chest. "Only five more minutes."

With a roll of his eyes, Kei pulled his husband closer and ran his fingers through his black hair.

And while Tetsurou fell into a peaceful sleep again, contrary to his promised “ _five minutes_ ”, the church bell struck six and the town under their little balcony came to life once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is what happend to the other suitors: 
> 
> Ushijima and Tendou are not getting married, but go on a world travel together for many years, Sakusa and Atsumu will take another five years of back'n'forth until Atsumu proposes to him (Sakusa says yes), Osamu and Suna convincing their parents that Suna's non-royal ancestry isn't as bad as they thought and they'll have a cute little backery together.  
> And finally Bokuto and Akaashi - they'll run away from home and manage to get out of the kingdom so that they can marry there. Turns out their parents already gave up on the thought of them marrying another prince, so the two can come back and live together in Bokutos palace.  
> But even after two years both of them can't get Tsukishima and Kuroo out of their heads, so they visit them every month and kinda get "very" close with each other. (Yamaguchi always teases Tsukki with him having now three lovers instead of one, even tho he didn't even wanted one in the beginning)
> 
> And Yamaguchi? He visits the court of the Miya-twin every so often, because a dark skinned gentleman awaits him there and after four years of a long distance relationship Yamaguchi and Aran marry on Tsukishima's court and live there side to side with King Akiteru, Queen Saeko, Prince and counselor Kei and his husband Tetsurou.


End file.
